Wang Pei'an, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), inspected Hebei province's local hospitals, township health clinics and village clinics from Mar 29 to 31, gaining insight into healthcare in these areas.

Wang Pei'an, vice-minister of the NHFPC, inspects People's Hospital of Fuping County

Wang praised Hebei's achievements in providing better healthcare for the poor by setting up special funds to improve basic medical insurance treatment levels, raising the reimbursement level of serious illness insurance and upgrading medical assistance levels.

For the impoverished population in rural areas, the actual reimbursement rate for hospitalization has been increased to above 90 percent and that of chronic diseases' medical costs has been increased to above 80 percent.

Hebei's efforts have enabled low-income residents to pay their medical bills, effectively relieving poverty arising from disease.

Wang Pei'an visits poverty-stricken family

Wang urged relevant departments of Hebei province to further improve the medical insurance system by effectively linking up the tiered system of medical care services, upgrading community-level medical services with assistance from tertiary hospitals and telemedicine and standardizing medical institutions in counties andWang also urged the local government to push forward "one-stop" settlements for medical bills and raise poor people's awareness of health promotion methods to provide better healthcare for impoverished people in rural areas.